Sweet Zoe Jane
by Ssenkard Tnelis
Summary: First Songfic. Describes the relationship between Holly and her father before he died, centered around him.


**Hello, welcome to: Present to Mom for Mother's day!**

**This is my very first songfic! Insert my 'yay' and the readers 'boo' here. I like songfics because, 1) they are fun. And 2) I don't have to update. --;  
**

**I am the worst updater ever, I know, but my muse has a way of making me incapable of completing a story without getting a new idea on paper first.**

**Ok I will quite with the unimportant things that people hate reading and skip to the on topic stuff.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'Zoe Jane'. That belongs to Staind. I also don't own Artemis Fowl, that's Eoin Colfers.**

**Please don't flame me with non-constructive criticism. It is rude, and quite frankly annoying. You wouldn't believe how many of those I have read where it's pretty much, "U SUK! GO BAK 2 PRESCHOL U S HED!"**

**Once again I draw off the subject. Please enjoy the story as much as possible and review when you're done.**

**Sweet Zoe Jane: Told from Captain Redwood Short's Point of view**

* * *

It has been a few years since her mother left. Ever since then, child raising didn't get one bit easier. I was always doing some sort of work and Holly had school. She was strong; she always acted like it was no big deal.

_Well I want you to notice,_

_To notice when I'm not around_

I remember when there was an award ceremony at school she wanted me to attend. She was receiving the "Outstanding Achievement Award" from her gym teachers; apparently she had out done everyone in a fitness test, including the boys. 

She was grinning ear to ear when she asked me to be there, so that when she came back down from the stage I would be there to see it. She had never been so proud.

That was also the same night that Commander Cahartez gave me an assignment, a troll had gotten loose. By the time it had all been cleared up and I got to the auditorium, it was already an hour past when the assembly had been over.

_And I know your eyes see straight through me_

Holly was slouched on the giant staircase leading up to the assembly, a light coat tucked tightly against her body, all alone.

I got out of my car and walked over to her. She looked up at me with her cold hazel eyes filled with sadness and disappointment.

_And speak to me without a sound_

"Holly I-"

"It's okay, I understand."

_I want to hold you,_

_Protect you from all things that I have already endured_

_And I want to show you,_

_To show you all of the things that this life has in stored for you_

After that night, we never really had the same relationship. I neglected more than my morals as a father, I gave up her right to call me that.

_I'll always love you,_

_The way that a father_

_Should love his daughter_

I woke up early this morning. The commander called and demanded my presence at the office at once. I attached a note to the refrigerator telling Holly where I would be and I headed out.

_When I walked out this morning,_

_I cried as I walked to the door,_

_I cried about how long I'd be away_

I walked into Cahartez's office; he had a very grim look on his face.

"Captain, we just got a report in. You know the power plant just outside of town?"

I nodded.

"There's been a problem. We're worried about the well being of the people living around the vicinity so I would like you to barricade the area and ask anyone nearby to vacate the area immediately."

_For I cried about leaving you all alone_

Usually when you go out on missions like these you don't normally think about whether or not you'll be coming back alive. This sounded serious though and if something were to happen to me, Holly would be alone.

Sure she would always have her aunt Lilac, but with her being all sugar and spice and Holly being all spice, I don't think they would get along too well. Actually now that I think about it, Holly never did like Lilac that much.

_I want to hold you,_

_Protect you from all of the things I've already endured_

_And I want to show you,_

_All of the things this life has in stored for you_

I stood beside the police tape so that no one nosy reporters or civilians would go into the power plant while the employees worked to fix the problem inside.

One of my fellow officers was reading the morning paper. I looked at the date and smiled. Today was Holly's 60th birthday. I already got the clear from my commander, tonight I was going to take her on a night on the town. Just the two of us.

_I'll always love you,_

_The way that a father,_

_Should love his daughter_

I just imagined how happy she would be. At last we could spend some quality time together. No late shifts, no last minute paper work, no commander to interfere. The last time we did this was when she was 31 at the Father-Daughter dance that her school was holding. Time sure did fly by.

_Sweet Zoe Jane…_

_Sweet Zoe Jane…_

Just then there was an explosion right outside the plant. Employees were running outside the building in frenzy.

I pulled out my Neutrino 1000. The life or death scenario seemed to be glued into my thoughts. A chill went down my spine; something was seriously wrong. Fairy intuition was never wrong.

_So I wanted to say this,_

_'Cause I wouldn't know where to begin_

I grabbed one of the frantic workers. "What's going on?"

He shivered, "It's the vault that we use to contain our main energy source. The thing we use to support it gave out and now it's going out of control. By the time we got a back up into the area the energy already made its way through into control room."

I stood there for a split second, letting all of the information sink in. If the plant blows up, so will the city.

_To explain to you what I have been through_

"How much time do we have until the whole thing blows up?"

The short pixie shook his head, "Not long, I would give it 6 minutes tops."

"Where is this 'backup'?"

"Grey should have it. Hey Grey!" The pixie shouted to a gnome that was trying to connect some wires to a rather large black object.

"Do you mind? I'm trying to repair this thing. I should be done in about 10 minutes, give or take."

I sighed, "That's not quick enough."

Looking around, my eyes fixed on a black object attached to my neutrino. I took it off and showed it to Grey. "Could this be used as a replacement?"

He stared for a little while, "Only for a day or so, it will hold until I get this one fixed."

"Good," I turned on the intercom inside my helmet and ran inside the now burning building.

_To explain where your daddy has been_

I ran through corridor after corridor, the fire hadn't spread to the lower levels yet but it was still very hot.

"Foaly, come in Foaly!"

"Foaly here. What do you need Captain."

"I'm at the power plant in area 16P, we have a problem so I need to know where the energy reactor room is."

"Hold please," I heard some typing. "Okay, go down the end of this hallway then turn left. The third door on your right should lead to the staircase, go up two flights then head straight. It should be the room that seems to glow an aura of white."

I ran to the staircase, taking the steps two at a time.

_I want to hold you,_

_Protect you from all of the things I have already endured_

Sure enough, the doorway that used to be bolted was open and glowing and eerie white.

I walked in slowly, the radiation ate away at my suit. My magic worked like crazy.

"Foaly, I want you to get Holly on the line. I need to talk to her. And step on it!"

"Right away sir!"

I looked around and found an elf lying on the ground. She was dead, so I pulled her out of her radiation suit and put it on myself. Though it was small, it would stall the burning.

_And I want to show you,_

_To show you all of the things that this life has in stored for you_

"Captain, I have your daughter here on line 1. She's using the school's phone so it will be a bit hazy."

"That's just fine." I pressed the button that connected me to Holly.

"Holly?"

"Dad? What's wrong, you sound upset."

I walked towards the generator; I saw the attachment where the backup was supposed to go into. Electric waves surrounded it; it would be suicide trying to touch it. Magic could heal many things, but being electrocuted was immediate shutdown of the body.

_I'll always love you_

"Honey, I want to apologize. I was never there for you when you really needed me, and when Lily left, things didn't get much easier."

"Redwood, it's ok."

_The way that a father_

"No it's not okay. I didn't see your early year graduation, I didn't see your award ceremony, your science fair project, and I won't see how you grow up."

"Red-"

"Holly," I reached to put the box into the compartment, "I love you."

_Should love his daughter_

"Red?"

I closed my eyes and put in the backup.

_Sweet Zoe Jane…_

"Dad!?"

_Sweet Zoe Jane…_

============================================================

**So what'd you think? Sorry it's kind of long, ok really long. Though I hoped you enjoyed it. First songfic, review and tell me if I did well, could do more, it stinks so I should stop…  
**

**I would also like to say sorry for the crappiness of the document. It didn't really upload quite right.  
**


End file.
